Second Time Around
by A Catholic Girl
Summary: Victoire recalls her very first marriage proposal soon after she says yes to her second. Response to the Proposal Challenge.


_A/N: Thank you to harryhermionerw (Kristen) for beta-reading this for me!_

* * *

It wasn't atypical for the creek by the Weasley home to be occupied during long, blistering summer afternoons, especially with the large amount of grandchildren that visited Molly and Arthur habitually during holidays. There was always a child or two swimming in the shallow ends of the stream, usually joined by an adult if they were deemed too young to be unsupervised. Even from a far distance, the distinct cries of glee and innocence could be heard, and a passerby might pause to soak in the sound of childhood for a moment before continuing on. Swimming in their grandparents' pond was something each Weasley or Potter child would recall fondly in their later years, a tradition they'd be glad that they kept up for so long.

Victoire, the eldest of the twelve grandchildren, carried with her a certain memory from an afternoon at the pond most warmheartedly. For the longest time she had kept it to herself, blushing quite evidently whenever she thought of this recollection.

She remembered it like it was yesterday. She was only six years old, an unknowing, rosy-cheeked little girl. Waking up each morning that summer being aware of the fun that lay ahead outside was soothing to Victoire, making her believe that nothing would go wrong. Summer always holds the promise of the impossible becoming probable, even for the young ones whose true lives haven't even started.

Even before that one heavenly summer, swimming with Teddy Lupin at the creek was normality for Victoire. Being only two years her elder, a friendship with Teddy came naturally to her from an early age. The two held a special bond between them, one that perhaps didn't require words to be spoken. In fact, Teddy was fond of her as much as she was of him. And a childhood fancy can always grant a little, dreaming girl a taste of love to come.

Victoire recalled sitting on the grass nearby the stream, with eight-year-old Teddy trudging out of the deeper water onto dry ground. Further down the water's edge sat Aunt Hermione, deeply engrossed in the book she had taken along when asked to supervise the two swimming. Victoire hoped her aunt didn't notice the way a smile stretched across her face when Teddy flopped down next to her, still dripping wet.

"So, what should we do now?" she eagerly questioned, her eyes suddenly alit.

"We could play a game," Teddy traced his fingers along a grass blade. "We could pretend to be your mum and dad and get married." He said it very brusquely; Victoire, looking back on the memory as a young woman, remembered how this was before Teddy became a scheming prankster and was quite staid about most things.

"Well…" Girls learn to fight back blushes at a young age, some say. Victoire was one of these girls. "If we're going to be my parents, you have to ask me to marry you."

"How did your dad ask?"

Victoire paused. "Hmm…I don't really know."

"We'll pretend he asked my way then," Teddy grinned. "I should practice, you know. I'll probably get married soon."

"I will, too!"

"Victoire, you're only a little girl. I'm older than you. I'll get married first."

She pouted for a second, but then glanced back at him. "Never mind. Ask me to marry you."

"Victoire-"

"No! Call me Fleur, remember?" She loved her mother's first name and relished in the fact that she could be referred as it for the time being.

"Oh, sorry," Teddy fumbled around, ending up on his knee. He held a grass blade up to her, face steady. "Vic – I mean, Fleur, will you marry me?"

Victoire giggled, holding up her chin like Maman did profusely. "Bill, I couldn't! You see, there's another boy back home…"

"Hey!" Teddy's face contorted. "Your mum said yes to your dad!"

"We never said that we had to be exactly like them."

Teddy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "So…what's your answer?"

Victoire slightly smiled. "No."

"What? Why?"

She rose from the grass, snatching up her towel from the ground as well. "I told you. There's someone else." She began walking back towards Aunt Hermione, swinging her towel back and forth.

Teddy ran to catch up with her. "But - Victoire, wait!" When he reached her, she stopped and turned back to him.

"What?"

"Well…" he shuffled his feet awkwardly, then continued. "There isn't _really _someone else, right?"

Victoire only grinned impishly. "Maybe…"

* * *

She finds that moment repeating itself in her mind minutes after Teddy's second proposal more than fifteen years later. This offer – the true one – was all a girl could have asked for. Roses. A candlelit dinner. Music streaming from an enchanted violin in the corner.

Victoire doesn't even need to say yes when Teddy asks. All she does is squeal and throw herself into his arms, which have broadened nicely over the years. There was never anyone else for her, as much as she had hinted at it when they were teasing children. Their relationship had been like the Muggle rollercoaster she and Teddy once rode when she visited him in America, he being there for Auror training. Ups, downs, loops, and curves. It was the beauty of love. _Their _love. She had hated him when he asked out random girls at school and then came to her for dating advice, then couldn't help but love him again when he ceased seeing each girl. Then there were the moments when she didn't know how to feel, instants when both Teddy and herself were so indifferent that the other was hard to read.

But now, she doesn't have to hide her feelings of Teddy. She is with her one and only, forever and always.

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_A/N: So, as stated in the summary, this was my reply to the Proposal Challenge at the HPFC. It's the first oneshot I've published in awhile, so of course I'm a little uneasy on how it turned out. Please review and critique if necessary. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it!_


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